Nov. 17.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 3491

payable on the 31st day of January immediately preceding, and shall commence—

(a.) In the case of a teacher employed in such a position on the 1st day of August in any year, as from the 1st day of February next ensuing ; and

(b.) In the case of a teacher appointed to such a position after the 1st day of August in any year, as from the 1st day of February next ensuing after the expiration of one year from the date of such appointment.

14. Except to such extent as may be necessary to comply with the requirements of subsection (3) of section 15 of the Education Amendment Act, 1919, and clause 15 hereof, nothing in these regulations shall entitle any teacher to a rate of salary, exclusive of any additions to salary otherwise authorized by these regulations, higher than the maximum for the grade of salary attached to his position in accordance with clause 1 hereof.

15. (1.) If on the 1st February in any year any school is placed in Grade I or a higher grade, and that school is thereafter reduced in grade, or if at any time a school was placed in Grade I or a higher grade under the Act or under regulations in force on the 1st January, 1919, for the grading of schools, and was thereafter reduced in grade, any teacher who remains in the same position therein shall continue to receive the same salary and allowances as if no such reduction had taken place :

Provided that if he has been offered and has declined to accept in a public school, secondary school, technical high school, or in any school under the control of the Department, any position the salary and allowances attached to which are not less than the salary and allowances that would have been received by him if the first-named school had not been reduced in grade, then he shall continue to receive for a period of two years after such reduction, or for a period calculated from the date of the reduction to a date three months after the date on which the offer was made, whichever period is the longer, the same salary and allowances as if no reduction had taken place, and thereafter, until new conditions arise, he shall receive as his salary and allowances the maximum salary and allowances prescribed for his position according to the grade to which the school has been reduced :

Provided further that in no case shall any teacher be entitled to receive salary and allowances in excess of those payable for the reduced grade or subgrade of the school for a longer period than five years.

(2.) The teacher of a part-time school which has been established as a full-time school shall, if he was the teacher of a group of part-time schools, be considered for the purposes of this clause as remaining in the same position.

(3.) For the purposes of this clause the grade of a school under the Act or under regulations in force on the 1st January, 1919, shall be deemed to be the corresponding grade under these regulations.

16. If the first female assistant in any school on the 1st January, 1919, was not appointed to the position of infant mistress in accordance with any regulations in force on that date, such assistant may, with the approval of the Minister, so long as she remains in the same school and performs the same or substantially the same duties, continue to be paid at the rate of salary payable to the first female assistant.

17. (1.) In the case of a reduction in the staff of a school, such amount shall be paid to the Board in respect of the teachers whose services are dispensed with as will enable the Board to comply with section 82 of the Act; but, with the exceptions set forth in subclause (2) hereof, in no circumstances shall payment be made to the Board on account of the salary of any teacher for a longer period than four months after the end of the quarter in which the school ceases to be entitled to the services of such teacher if such teacher had been permanently appointed, or for a longer period than two months in any other case.

(2.) In any school in which, under these regulations, a reduction in the staff is to be made, if at the beginning of any subsequent quarter it is found that the average attendance of the school for the quarter immediately preceding has increased so that the minimum average attendance of the grade or subgrade for which such staff has been provided has been reached, then, if notice to the teacher or teachers to be withdrawn has not expired, payment of the salary or salaries of the said teacher or teachers may, with the precedent approval of the Minister, be made for such period as the Board may decide, being not more than four months after the beginning of the quarter first named ; and so on from quarter to quarter until the 1st February next ensuing. If the staff has been reduced the Board may, with the approval of the Minister, reinstate the teacher or